Seventy Hours on Raener-12 : Part 15

Hour 053

For hours at a time, the trip back to Natalie's cell felt lighter. There were occasional dealings with small security measures. Using mirrors and other tools we outsmarted laser grids on the floors several times.

Natalie had warned us the worse settings were centered along the main thoroughfares. Though we safely dodged the minor measures I forced us to tread carefully. The Mastery had proved to be cunning.

We rounded corner after corner, and as we passed each my mind raced ahead to my princess. None of us could tell if we had trekked the halls before. There were no signs to differentiate. Only rows of doors, clones with identical holopads and blue neon light lined our path.

"That should be the last straight shot, Sean."

"Affirmative," I radioed back.

Natalie had guided us the entire time. She had often failed to warn us about the seriousness of certain security grids. She prepped us in due time of the next obstacle, but facing them was far more challenging. Numbers were higher, watts were more volatile--it was as if she remembered where they were and not the extent of their damages. Either way, we remained together.

Our covert trek up the ship continued until I saw the landmark. I curled my fingers into a fist and lowered my firearm. "There it is, boys."

I pointed straight ahead while we marched. On the left side of the corridor was that sapphire eye we had seen so many hours before. The blue beacon was lighting the way down one more set of curves to the first trident. We were home.

Not a breaths wait after and I tensed. Its center eye began to rotate; each full turn emitted a high-pitched wail and swirling blue light.

No. It was a fluke. Our beacon was a laser console.

It had no need to search--we were in full view.

My command was short: "Run!"